Articles Posted inAnimal and Dog Bites

After less than a day of deliberation, a Chicago jury awarded Tierney Darden $148 million for a shelter collapse outside O’Hare Airport that ripped her spinal cord in half, leaving her permanently paralyzed from the waist down and in constant pain.

In August 2015, Tierney, her mother, and sister had just returned to Chicago after traveling to Minneapolis to pick out a wedding dress for her sister. The three were waiting outside O’Hare under one of several pedestrian shelters found at the airport. A storm caused the shelter to suddenly collapse, trapping Tierney, now 26. After the accident, CBS 2 investigators found corroded parts and missing bolts and screws in not only the shelter that collapsed, but in nearly all others. The discovery and exposure forced O’Hare to remove all pedestrian shelters.

Tierney, a former dancer at Truman College, told CBS 2 of the accident “I hate it. I hate that I have to wake up every day and see it.”

An Illinois woman has filed a personal injury lawsuit against her neighbors, alleging that their dog bit her and caused her severe personal injuries. Not only does the woman’s lawsuit claim that the dog caused her personal injuries, but the lawsuit also alleged that the neighbor’s acted in negligent way by letting the dog run loose and bite the woman. The dog involved in the lawsuit is a pit bull/mastiff mix.

According to The Telegraph, in March of this year, the dog bite victim was standing in her yard minding her own business, when the dog owners/defendants who lived next door to the woman, let their dog run free into her yard. Then, according to the personal injury lawsuit, out of nowhere the neighbor’s dog ran over to the woman viciously attacked her in her yard.

The woman is bringing the lawsuit against her neighbors under the Illinois Animal Control Act, which was enacted in order to hold animal owners liable for any civil damages caused by an unprovoked attack by their animal. This means that there is not criminal liability offered under this Act, but an injured party can sue for monetary damages. Additionally, this act limits lawsuits to those in which the attack was unprovoked by the victim, meaning the pet acted with no provocation by the victim. Any court hearing a case under this Act is also likely to look at the facts presented to see if the attack was reasonably foreseeable and if the attack could have easily been avoided by different actions by the pet owner.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this month on a unique Illinois injury lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of a woman who lost part of her finger after a bizarre horse bite. The victim was a 65-year old who took her grandchildren to the Glenview Park District’s Wagner Farm. She was with a family group to attend last year’s Harvest Festival and bonfire.

The grandmother brought her grandchildren to the farm to feed the horses. The children joined a large group that was near the animals with food. The grandmother stepped away from the crowd so that she could get a better view of the children for a picture. However, as she was preparing to take the photo a horse came upon her and bit down on her right hand.

The woman explained the incident by noting that she “could feel a sucking feeling and then a crunch, and he opened his mouth, and I pulled my hand out, and it was gone.” The animal had bitten off her right index finger to the first knuckle. She attempted to control her emotions and pain so as not to startle her grandchildren. Emergency crews eventually arrived and took the victim away.

The woman commented on being fortunate that her grandchildren were not injured. If they had been near the horse it’s possible that the gelding could have inflicted even more damage on a young child. The injury has had significant impacts on the woman’s life. She has difficulty typing, because of a permanent burning sensation in her finger. This has made it difficult to work, as she does payroll for a Chicago business. Simple tasks are also near impossible, like turning a key in a knob.Continue reading

Lawyers and Settlements recently reported that a photographer lost part of her right ear due to a dog bite injury last year. The dog bite injury required her to completely amputate her right ear and she has required reconstructive surgery. A dog bite injury lawsuit was filed at the end of November states that the victim was working a dog show at a county fairgrounds in January 2010, which was hosted by the county dog fanciers association. The dog bite personal injury lawsuit was filed against the dog’s owner, not against the county dog fanciers association. The personal injury lawsuit alleges that a dog attacked the victim without provocation while she was working the show.

The injured resident claims that a significant portion of her right ear, almost 4 centimeters, was ripped off during her dog bite personal injury. After the amputation, the dog bite injury plaintiff required reconstructive surgery. The dog bite injury lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 in damages against the dog’s owner.Continue reading

A man who was bitten by a rattlesnake in a Walmart store has recently been released from the hospital. Now, the personal injury victim is weighing whether to file a personal injury lawsuit against the Walmart company. He was sent home with pain medications and instructions on how to care for his snakebite wound.

The family of the woman who received extreme personal injuries after being mauled by a chimpanzee has filed a personal injury lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages against the primate’s owner. The animal injury lawsuit alleges that the owner was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control a wild animal with violent propensities. The attorneys for the personal injury victim state that the victim remains in critical condition.

A woman who claims that she received personal injuries after a pack of wild dogs that chased her through a local BP facility has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the refinery and its manager. The lawsuit states that she sustained multiple injuries because of the animal attack.

The wrongful death of a 4-year-old mauled by at least one Rottweiler owned by his foster family my lead to a crackdown on how the state regulates the care of foster children in home with animals. A state representative is considering tough legislation outlawing dangerous dogs in foster homes. The boy died in his foster family’s Chicago home after he let himself out of the house and was attacked by one or both of the Rottweilers owned by the family. The dangerous dogs were kept outside. To read the full story, click here.

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The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.